


Human/Fairy Relations

by KieraElieson



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Capturing, Fairy!AU, G/T, Gen, Magic, Roman is only mentioned until the last chapter, Size Changes, fantasy!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21612139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KieraElieson/pseuds/KieraElieson
Summary: Made from a prompt by @Arc852Thomas heads out into the woods one day, planning to just go on a bit of a nature walk. People have told him to stop and turn back when he comes across the line of flowers, but he doesn’t listen. He crosses them, only to suddenly succumb to a purple mist. When he wakes up, a tiny man with wings is flying above him, giving off a purple aura. And Thomas realizes he can’t move.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arc852](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arc852/gifts).



> I don't know how many chapters this will have, or when it will update. I have three now, so I'm posting all three, and we'll see if the inspiration stays for more.

\- Thomas heads out into the woods one day, planning to just go on a bit of a nature walk. People have told him to stop and turn back when he comes across the line of flowers, but he doesn’t listen. He crosses them, only to suddenly succumb to a purple mist. When he wakes up, a tiny man with wings is flying above him, giving off a purple aura. And Thomas realizes he can’t move. -Arc852

  
  
  


  * •^*^••



  
  


There they were. 

It was a line forbidden to cross. 

Always, since he was very young, Thomas had wanted to know what was beyond it. Of course, every other time he had had adults nearby to stop him, and frequently punish him, for trying to step past the flowers. And honestly, he hadn’t intended to go this far this time either. He had just been on a walk, but now he was standing, staring at the flowers. 

They were a dark purple, and there was a large circle in the very center of the forest that they bordered. He hadn’t walked all the way around the circle, but he had heard stories from people that came from other towns and had seen the other side. 

Thomas reached out and touched one. Its petals were softer and more velvety than any he had ever felt, and as soon as it was disturbed a truly delicious scent floated up into the air. 

Surely, something this beautiful wouldn’t be able to guard something bad. 

He stepped over the flowers. 

There’s a sudden breeze. Instantly, from the trees, there comes a purple mist. He looks up above him, to see that the purple flowers are growing on vines that snake up into every tree, and each flower is sprinkling purple pollen down onto him. The flower ring as well is wafting the pollen up. 

Thomas gasped in wonder. It’s so beautiful. More than he had even imagined. 

But when he gasped, the pollen caught in his throat. Thomas coughed, but that just made him inhale more of the powder. His eyes start dragging closed and his limbs feel far heavier than they ever have, even when he was exhausted. He slumped to the ground. 

  * •^*^••



Thomas woke up slowly. He couldn’t move yet, could only barely open his eyes, but he could hear. 

“I caught one! I finally, finally caught one! Agh! Who am I kidding? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do it!”

Thomas forced his eyes open to see a fairy, brightly lit in the dark, and the same shade of purple as the flowers. He was flirting back and forth and talking rapidly to himself. Maybe if he would be more still or if he came closer Thomas would be able to see better. 

Wait— the dark?! How long had he been asleep? 

Thomas grunted with the effort of raising his head, and still failed, but it drew the fairy’s attention to him. 

“You’re awake! Quick, before it wears off completely, give me your name!”

“What?” Thomas was surprised that he was able to speak so easily, but he wasn’t complaining either. 

“Your name. Give me your name.” The fairy said, flitting closer. 

There was something about that, though. Some reason he shouldn’t tell his name to the fairy. He couldn’t remember very clearly. 

“What’s your name?” Thomas asked. 

“Mine?” The fairy backed up a little. “I’m called Anxiety.”

“That’s a weird name.”

“It doesn’t matter, give me your name now.”

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he really shouldn’t tell the fairy his name. Maybe he could compromise. 

“Sanders.”

The fairy’s face scrunched up. “Sanders? Surely that’s not— it’s a last name.”

Thomas tried again to lift his head. It was much easier now. 

“I can work with a last name,” the fairy said, his tone changing back as he talked to himself. “I’ll just have to shift you first, and take you through second.”

The fairy suddenly started speaking in another language, and the only word Thomas caught was Sanders. 

Everything was getting bigger. And getting bigger quickly. Thomas cried out, but there was no one to hear him but the fairy. 

The fairy fluttered down to him, now almost the same size. He grabbed under Thomas’s armpits and across his chest, and lifted him into the air. 

“What are you doing?!” Thomas yelled. 

The ground dropped away. He could still only move a little, but didn’t dare to try for fear the fairy would drop him. 

They flew deeper into the forest, and then over a lake. 

Thomas flinched back away from the water. This fairy had better not drop him. 

Then they stopped in the middle. 

No. 

“Wait! Wait, don’t drop me!” 

But the fairy let go. 

  * •^*^••



Thomas woke up laying on a bed. He was laying on his stomach, and someone was rubbing his back softly. He was tempted to lean into the touch and go back to sleep, but then he remembered. 

He shot up. 

“W-here am I? Who are you? What’s happening?”

“Hey, calm down, kiddo. You need to lay down again.”

It wasn’t the fairy. It was a fairy, though. This one was freckled, with soft curly hair, and had light blue wings. Unlike Anxiety’s wings, though, his were opaque, and didn’t show any signs of glowing. 

“Your wings are about to come in, and you need to be laying down,” the fairy said again, his voice soft and soothing. 

“What…?” Thomas shook his head. “I don’t— No.”

“I’m called Morality,” the fairy said. “But that’s not my name.”

Thomas was baffled by the change of subject. But everything was confusing right now. 

“Anxiety has been calling you Sanders, which is your name, but only partly. He tried to give you wings, but because Sanders isn’t your real name they’re coming in slowly. They’ll be fragile for the first bit, and might be sore, so he asked me to help you.”

“What’s going on?” Thomas asked. 

Morality sighed. “Kiddo, I’d love to help answer your questions, but I won’t do it if you don’t lay down.”

Thomas laid down on his stomach. “So what’s going on?”

“Well… I guess I’ll start big picture. You know how some humans catch fairies?”

Thomas nodded. “Like magicians?”

Morality nodded. “Yes. Well, the fairies got tired of being captured, but they can’t do much about it when they’re so tiny while they’re in our realm.”

Thomas’s mind snagged on the ‘our’ but he didn’t interrupt. 

“So they made several traps for humans. Mostly they don’t work, but sometimes they catch a human. It makes us easier to influence. Then they take us back to their world. They give us wings, so we can fly around like they do, but they look different than theirs.”

Morality fluttered his wings open, showing them off. 

“V—Anxiety was put in charge of one of those traps, but he never caught a human until now.”

Morality leaned in close and whispered. “Don’t give him your name.”

“So you’re a human? How long have you been here? And why shouldn’t I give him my name?”

Morality sat back in the chair again. “I am. I’ve been here… quite a while. Years are different here. With your name… right now, he can only do a couple things to you, and they’ll be slow, but if he has your name he has a lot more power over you.”

Suddenly there was a pain in Thomas back. Morality set his hand on it, and rubbed in the very middle along Thomas spine. With all of the things happening, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, but now that knowledge was at the front of his mind. 

“What’s going to happen?” He asked, worry spiking through his mind as his back hurt more and more. 

“It’s alright. When it happened to me it hurt, but it wasn’t for too long. Hopefully yours will be quicker once they start coming through.”

Thomas felt as Morality’s hand touched something that wasn’t his back, though it felt as much like a part of him as if it was. He shivered. 

“Here they come,” Morality said happily. “They’re going to be beautiful.”

It was another five minutes before Morality pronounced the wings to be fully grown. 

“Just stay there, let them dry and get a bit stronger before you try to use them. I’ll get you something to eat.”

Thomas was surprised to find how natural it felt, waving his wings open and shut. The pain was fading away, and he turned his head as much as he could to see them. From what he could see, they were like monarch wings. 

Morality came back in with a plate. The plate had large slices of something red on it. Did fairies eat meat?

“Here. I’m going to touch your wings, alright?” 

Thomas nodded. He could feel Morality’s hand, lighter than a feather, brush along the edge of each wing. 

“Can you feel them the whole way?” He asked. 

Thomas nodded. 

“That’s good!” Morality said. “You can probably sit up now.”

Thomas sat up and picked up the plate. It was strawberry slices. But the berry it came from must be huge. He ate them quickly, and they tasted better than any strawberries he’d ever eaten. 

“Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome kiddo!”

“So where is Anxiety? And why are you here instead?”

“He’s just out in the living room,” Morality said, pointing at the door. “They sent me in because they thought you’d be more comfortable with a human.”

“They?”

“Yes, Lo—gic, is also out there. He didn’t capture me, but I told him my name, so, we’re kind of stuck with each other now. They want to see you, once you’re done eating.”

Thomas now regretted eating so quickly. 

“I guess.”

Morality opened the door, but waited until Thomas went through ahead of him. 

There were two fairies sitting on stools in the living room, and both turned to look at Thomas as he entered. 

One was Anxiety, and the other was probably Logic. Logic had dark blue wings that sparkled as if they were sprinkled in glitter. Both he and Anxiety were dressed in clothes that looked like they were made out of plants. 

“Patton.” Logic said, and from behind him Thomas heard an “Oh!” 

He turned to look, and saw Morality, or Patton, the size of a fairy. He flew up and over to Logic. 

“Logiiic, I wanted to stay big a while!” He whined, but settled on Logic’s shoulder. 

Thomas shifted his gaze to Anxiety, who looked at just as much of a loss as he felt. 

“What do we do now?”

  * •^*^••



  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Thomas had been with the fairies for three days. 

Officially, he was Anxiety’s responsibility. Which meant that if he was ever seen away from him all the other fairies would herd him back. It wasn’t… an unpleasant way to live, but he did miss home. 

Flying, though, flying was awesome!

He had been allowed, and given a written permission in case he was stopped, to go to Logan and Patton’s house. Logan had said Patton’s name, and soon after Patton had let Logan’s name slip. Anxiety’s, though, was still safely a secret. 

But now he was flying. Logan and Patton lived up high, which Thomas did not mind at all. Their house was built on top of a sunflower, which made it one of the larger houses in the village. This village was one of many, but the fairies that lived here also had other homes, in the human world, accessed by secret passages. Because of this, the village, which was smallish anyway, was always at least half empty. The prince of the village stayed, and so did Logan, but for different reasons. The Prince had to stay, to keep order and to be available to help the fairies. But Logan had to stay to keep Patton here. And, Thomas guessed, Anxiety would now have to stay. To make sure Thomas never got out. 

But that was a depressing thought, and he was not going to go be depressed when he saw Patton. Thomas forced a smile on his face as he flew higher. 

He came up onto the flower. Even though he was tiny, especially in comparison to the massive flower, Patton was currently tinier. Thomas knee that Logan was the one that did this, but he still had no idea of why. Patton didn’t particularly enjoy it. If Anxiety was able, would he shrink Thomas further as well? 

But Patton broke him out of his depressing thoughts again, calling out his name and flying straight at him. He was always affectionate, even while tiny, and gave Thomas the best hug he could manage. 

“It’s good to see you, Pat!”

“I’m glad to see you too, Kiddo! What brings you all the way up here?”

Thomas appreciated that Patton called him kiddo. It was better than Sanders. Or human. 

“I just came to visit. Is Logan home?”

Patton cocked his head to the side, as if he couldn’t believe that Thomas would want to see Logan. Which, to be fair, he kind of didn’t. Logan wasn’t unkind, but he knew a lot of things, and acted on that knowledge. The problem was that, without the same knowledge, it seemed to Thomas that Logan did lots of things for no reason. Like shrinking Patton. He couldn’t seem to let go of a grudge for that one. 

“Yeah, he’s here.”

Thomas went inside, Patton hovering around his head. 

“Logan.” Thomas said firmly, noting the slight flinch.

A second later, smoothly, as if he was just now noticing Thomas, Logan looked over the top of his book. 

“Sanders.”

“I’ve come for a visit, and I want you to put Patton back to my size.”

Patton flitted back into Thomas’s field of vision, looking rather worried. Thomas knew that if he had told Patton of his intentions he would not have wanted him to do it. 

Logan raised an eyebrow. “Surely, if you’re asking for a favor, you have something to offer in return.”

Nope. Thomas had not thought this through far enough. He had noticed that Logan flinched whenever he used his name, and had hoped that whatever it was would also make Logan more receptive to requests. He had also hoped on a bit of an intimidation factor, which it seemed he did not have enough of. 

Logan continued when Thomas hesitated so long. “You could give me your name.”

Patton was minutely shaking his head. 

Suddenly Logan blinked. His demeanor changed, becoming as warm as he could be, which still wasn’t very warm, especially when standing next to Patton. “You said you wanted Patton to be the same size as you, correct?”

“Um… yes?”

“Then I’ll offer you a more attractive deal. I’ll do it if you give Patton your name.”

Thomas’s eyes flicked to Patton, who was now shaking his head vigorously. 

“...no… wait, why not?”

“Patton.” Logan said. He always did this, just say Patton, and then he was somehow always affected by whatever. 

Patton spun around to face Logan, and Thomas couldn’t see his face anymore. 

“I’ll give you a final deal,” Logan offered. “Give Patton your name, and I’ll make him your size, or don’t, and I’ll make you his size.”

Patton spun back to face Thomas, but too late to stop him from saying, “Deal. And no.”

Logan stood up, and started talking in the fairy language, where the only word Thomas could catch was Sanders. Then he was shrinking. It was quick, barely thirty seconds, and he was the same size as Patton. 

Patton grabbed him by the arm and zipped out an open window. 

“You shouldn’t do that!” Patton scolded. 

“I just… wanted to help you.”

Patton hugged him tightly. “I know. And it’s really sweet of you, kiddo, but Logan is really, really smart. You can’t make deals with him.”

“Why not? And why can’t I tell you my name?”

“I can’t—I can’t tell you.”

“Why not? I want to know what’s going on! I’ve been kidnapped by fairies and I don’t even know why!”

Thomas lowered his voice when he saw the look on Patton’s face. “I’m sorry. But I do want to know what’s going on.”

“Well, I don’t know everything either, but the reason that they captured us is kind of like revenge. Because humans capture fairies. And now fairies want at least some humans to feel the way they feel, I guess.”

“But then why the name thing? Why is it such a big deal?”

“Because a fairy can control a human with their name. There’s more to it than that, but the more they know about you the more they can control you. And I think somehow that humans must be able to do the same to fairies, but I don’t know how.”

“So that’s why Logan flinches when I call him by his name.”

Patton nodded. “I really… I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Can we go do something fun?”

“Sure, Pat. Just, one more thing?”

Patton waited. 

“Are you, really, alright? I know Logan bosses you around a lot, and, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Patton hugged Thomas again. “I’m fine, Kiddo. Thank you.”

  * •^*^••



“I’ve bought you some time, but it won’t be long before they start to get… more concerned. You need to get his name.”

“I know,” Virgil raked his hand through his hair. “I know, but he won’t tell me anything. How’d you get Patton to do it?”

“I pretended to be a human. But at this point in time, knowing you as well as he does, he won’t believe a simple glamour.”

“What if he tells Patton? We can get the name from Patton, and that’s better than what we have.”

“If we do that, it would only be because the village began to get violent. It would likely hurt Patton to be used in that way, and Sanders would assuredly guard his name closer than ever after the fact. We’d never be given his name.”

Virgil growled and paced. “I  _ never  _ thought that this would be so hard. You made it look so easy!”

“Rest assured, it was not simple for me either. It still isn’t.”

“What about someone else? Do you think anyone else could get him to give them his name?”

“Not in a nonviolent manner, no. He’s been here nearly a week, and the only attachments he’s made have been to yourself and to Patton. Not to mention, he’s considerably more… I suppose discontent might be a suitable word, toward his own position. Patton settled into his place relatively easily, whereas Sanders keeps trying, thankfully unsuccessfully, to invoke names.”

Virgil frowned. His hands fisted in his hair as he tried to think of anything else he could try. 

“He’s been heard trying to invoke my name,” Logan said quietly. 

“What?” Virgil paled. “By who?”

“I’m not certain. But I’m sure that by tomorrow morning we’ll have some angry people on out hands, and I don’t think that keeping him small will appease them this time.”

“What should we do?”

  * •^*^••



When Thomas woke up, Anxiety had already left the room. He sat up and stretched, his wings fluttering. By now, moving them was almost unconscious. He was still tiny. 

He flew to the door. Anxiety usually left it a bit open if he woke up first, since Thomas couldn’t open it by himself. But not today. 

Thomas pounded on the door, but it made even less noise than usual. That was odd. He tried to look through the crack in the doorframe, but it was stuffed with pieces of flower petals. That was even more odd. Anxiety must really want him to be stuck in the bedroom for some reason. 

“Anxiety!” Thomas yelled. 

From behind him there was a groan. He spun around. Patton was sitting up slowly. He was tiny, and so was Thomas, but Thomas was still surprised that he hadn’t noticed. But that wasn’t the biggest thing he hadn’t noticed. Patton’s wings were gone. 

Patton gave a confused, tired frown. He must have tried to fly up. He reached his hands back, but before he could feel the truth Thomas was charging into him, hugging him tightly. 

“Oof! Kiddo. What’s going on?”

Thomas shook his head. He didn’t know. 

From outside, as the sun rose, so did the sound of voices. Angry voices. Thomas could hear Anxiety’s voice raising among them, but there were so many all at once he couldn’t tell what they were saying. 

“I—my wings…” Patton said softly. “He’s never taken my wings.”

Thomas squeezed tighter. He didn’t know what else to do. Then he saw a paper on the bed. He let go of Patton to flip it over. 

**_I want your name, and I’m tired of waiting._ **

Thomas gritted his teeth. 

“It’s not fair!” He exploded. “How can they just—just hurt you like this?!”

Patton was staring blankly at the paper, and a tear ran down his face. “I don’t know…”

Thomas flew to the door and started banging on it, even though there was no way he was being heard. 

“Logan changed so much this last week,” Patton cried, and Thomas turned to see him with his face in his hands. “I don’t understand!”

Thomas flew back to Patton. “It’ll be alright. I’ll find some way to fix things.”

Patton looked up, something dangerous glinting in his eyes behind the pain. “Logic’s real name is Logan, and Anxiety’s real name is Virgil. I’m giving you their names.”

Thomas hugged Patton tightly again. “My name is Thomas.”

Patton hugged him back just as tightly. “And my name is Patton. I trust you, Thomas, let’s get out of here.”

Thomas let go of Patton. “I have an idea.”

He flew back a little bit away from Patton. Then he yelled, as loudly as he could and with as much belief as he could muster. “Virgil! Logan! Put me back to my right size!”

And then he was growing. He managed to pick up Patton and shield him in his hands before he burst out of the house. He started walking for the pool in the middle of the village, calling Virgil and Logan as he went, and ignoring the clamor of the other fairies. He went through the pool more easily this time, and was only slightly dizzy when emerging from the other side. 

He slid Patton onto his head, assuming that he’d be able to hold onto his hair and not fall off, since he didn’t have a pocket. 

He waited barely a minute before Virgil and Logan came out, and he immediately grabbed at them. He caught Virgil, but Logan ducked out of reach. 

“What are you doing?” Logan yelled, still flitting around so that he wasn’t an easy catch. 

“I’m going back home. And I’m taking Patton with me. I want you to turn him back to his normal size as well.”

Thomas brought Virgil up to his eye level. “Take my wings back, I won’t need them anymore.”

Virgil squirmed in his hand. “I don’t… I don’t know that I can without your name.”

Thomas frowned. This again? Virgil cried out, and he quickly loosened his grip. 

“Let him go,” Logan said, his voice not commanding like usual, but almost pleading. “I’ll take your wings off and I’ll return Patton to his usual size.”

“To his human size,” Thomas clarified, suddenly realizing that with knowing their names, and holding Virgil in his hand, he actually had bargaining chips now. 

“Yes.” Logan said. 

From on top of his head, the minuscule weight slowly grew as Logan started speaking in the fairy tongue. As he grew large enough, Patton climbed down to stand next to Thomas. Patton was looking down at the ground, avoiding looking at Logan or Virgil. 

“Can I touch you?” Logan asked. 

“Only if it’s to take the wings off,” Thomas answered. 

Logan flew behind him and touched the tips of his wings. Thomas could feel them returning to his back in much the same way as they had come. 

Virgil squirmed again. Thomas tightened his grip just slightly, unwilling to lose his bargaining chip. But then he saw the flash of pain that went across Virgil’s face, and all the rest of his anger turned to guilt. 

“I want you both to promise that you won’t stop us or do anything to us while we’re going home,” Thomas said. 

“Yes. I promise.” Logan said, his eyes trained on Virgil. 

“Promise,” Virgil said, and the pain in his voice was greater than it had been on his face. 

Thomas opened his hand, feeling the guilt shift from welling up in his gut to stabbing him when he saw the crumpled state of Virgil’s wings. 

Logan flew down and picked Virgil up, flying to a safe distance away. 

Thomas turned to place the pool at his back. Once they were out of the ring of flowers he could figure where he was and find his way home. Patton turned back once. 

“Bye,” he said, his voice small. 

  * •^*^••



It took a day to get back to Thomas’s house, but they did get back, and Patton, who said that he didn’t have anyone to go back to, became Thomas’s roommate. 

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

The craziest week of his life was now behind him, but that didn’t mean that anything was settling down for Thomas. He hadn’t seen any fairies since, but they clearly had it out for him, and the town was beginning to notice. At first it was things that could be explained away, like rot in the windowsills, and weeds constantly filling his small yard. The fire always smoked and drafts kept finding their way into the house, which was increasingly hard to bear as winter began to set in.

But then came the ivy. Several sprigs sprouting up overnight was strange, especially since ivy didn’t grow near the town, but completely unexplainable was how they managed to completely cover the house and the one tree in the yard in only a fortnight.

Patton loved it, and set out a chair and a small table under the tree, hoping they would be covered too, but of course since he had expressed the desire out loud it didn’t happen. Still, he often would make a pot of tea or hot chocolate and sit out there until he had drunk the whole thing, leaving behind several sugar cubes as a gift. 

The people of the town were wary of both Thomas and Patton, especially with their house clearly under attack, but no one could resist Patton if he once began a conversation with them. But that led to rumors as well, people saying that Patton himself had magic and was bewitching them. Thomas tried to keep the rumors away from Patton, but he couldn’t stop them, and occasionally Patton would come home with a downright sad look on his face. Thomas didn’t know what to do when that happened. He tried to be a listening ear, but Patton didn’t want to talk about it, and would pretend as if nothing happened.

As time passed, the people in the town grew more and more distrustful of Thomas and Patton. Thomas had had three smaller jobs before  _ the week _ , but now no one would hire him for anything. He had beehives in his backyard, but when he harvested the honey no one would buy from him. He had frequently gone gathering herbs for the doctor or one of the midwives in the town, but no one would accept him for that either. And Patton was no better, if anything, it was worse for him. Thomas had heard people saying that they could smell the fairy coming from him, and didn’t dare have anything to do with him.

So now it was the last few weeks of fall, and their money was almost gone, and both of them were more lonely than they had been in a long time. 

“I miss Logan,” Patton said.

“Patton, he hurt you,” Thomas said.

“I know. But I still miss him sometimes. Don’t you ever miss Virgil?”

“I only knew him for a week.” Thomas fell silent for a minute as he sipped his tea. “But I do kinda think sometimes that it would be cool to see him again.”

There was silence for a while longer. The fire crackled, and then smoke blew into the house, and they rushed to open the windows, put coats on, and sit outside. 

“I had an idea,” Patton said slowly.

“Oh?”

“Well, we have a lot of honey…”

“Mhmm.”

“And no one wants to buy it from us…”

“Yeah?”

“But fairies like honey a lot.”

Thomas nodded. “Normally, but the fairies around here hate our guts.”

“What if we moved?” Patton said, an incredibly winsome look on his face. “I know it’s asking a lot of you, since you grew up here, and it’s your house and all, but if we moved, maybe the fairies would leave us alone? And the people somewhere else might not dislike us so much.”

Thomas thought about it for several minutes before he replied. “Moving in the winter wouldn’t be easy. I don’t have a horse, or money to buy a new house, and I don’t know how I’d sell this one either. And what does this have to do with the honey?”

Patton rubbed the back of his neck. “I might know of a fairy who would buy the honey from us?”

“How?”

“I was there a long time, I think I even made friends, and I know for certain that they like honey.”

Thomas nodded. “So maybe they would buy the honey from us, but what would they pay us with? Could we get food and water? And what would we live in?”

Patton frowned. “I haven’t quite thought it all through, but I still think we could try. Maybe we could make a plan together?”

So they did. It took a week of planning, and a week of packing and preparation, but Thomas’s house was cleaned and locked up, ready to winter uninhabited. Both he and Patton had on heavy packs, and still it might not be quite enough. They went into the woods, deep enough that they could see the ring of flowers through the trees, and then found the perfect spot. 

They dug out an area, and stacked up stones into a fireplace. They used the trees and chopped down branches to make a frame, and laid fabric over it. They then covered the whole thing in piles and piles of dead leaves, until it looked like a small hill, but with a door, and a chimney poking out. Inside was small, but once they had covered the floor with a tarp, and laid out the blankets they had brought, it turned out to be rather cozy even without a fire going. 

For a few days they came back and forth, bringing things that were needed, and piling more leaves on top as the old leaves settled. Most of the leaves were dampish, and rotting from being on the forest floor, and hopefully they wouldn’t have issues with fire. Neither one was  _ very  _ sure about this, but they intended to be as careful as possible.

Finally they had a den. It really couldn’t be called much else. Their hope was to get enough money from the fairies to buy food, and to scavenge the rest from the forest. Once it was spring again, they could try to move back, and hope that the fairies quit the attack on their town house.

If he was honest, Thomas didn’t think that the fairies were going to buy the honey from them, but doing something was better than doing nothing. And, if worst came to worst, if they were starving and freezing in the dead of winter, the ring was right over there, he could barter his name to Virgil in exchange for shelter. 

Patton was very excited about the potential selling of the honey. 

First he set out a small saucer just outside the ring, and put a sign next to it.  **Free.**

It took two days for the honey to disappear, but then Patton filled the saucer again, and put out a new sign.  **Free. There is more for sale.**

The saucer was taken, but no fairy ever showed themselves.

Patton filled it again and waited. He even tried staying up at night, but it was too cold, and he retreated back to the den. In the morning the saucer was empty again. This time Patton didn’t refill it, and tore off the bit of the sign that said free.

Three days later, an hour after dark, there was a knock at the door. Patton practically jumped up, opening the door. But then he froze. Thomas stood up and placed himself in between Patton and Logan, who was human sized. 

“I have been sent as an emissary to discuss the purchase of honey,” Logan said crisply. “I am sure that all of us would appreciate a gesture of goodwill, and as such I will say that I would prefer to be called Logic, and will call each of you by whatever title you prefer.”

“Y-you are welcome to come in, Logic, provided you come in good will. You may call me Morality.” Patton said, and despite his slight stutter Thomas could hear a rhythm in his voice as if the phrases were well practiced. 

Logan came into the den, and both he and Patton sat down. Thomas sat down near them, all too aware that it was his turn to say something. 

“I would prefer not to be addressed, Morality is the one selling the honey.”

Patton gave him a bit of an odd look, but Logan just turned toward Patton as if it were a normal thing to request. 

“As I’m sure you are aware, I have been sent by Prince Roman. He wishes me to inquire the quantity and price of the honey.”

“We have 24 quarts of honey, but we haven’t set a price yet.”

Logan shifted. “Are you expecting that I will make the first offer?”

“I had expected Prince Roman to make an offer, but as his proxy, I suppose you’ll have to,” Patton said cheerily, a perfectly innocent smile on his face. 

Logan’s jaw clenched slightly. “Your time among us has made you dangerous, Morality. This has many of our people concerned with your choice of habitation being so close.”

“I’m not dangerous.” Patton protested lightly. “I believe that the one who taught me called it growing wiser.”

Logan took in a quick breath and let it out slowly. “Because of this, we are not likely to want to pay you exorbitantly, as it might be seen as an encouragement to remain close. In addition to this, we do not have an abundance of human money.”

“So what you’re saying is, you aren’t made of honey, and you’d like me to leaf you alone?” Patton said, a bright smile on his face. 

“I—no—I don’t—that is not—-“ Logan looked almost as though he might start convulsing. 

Thomas looked at Patton in confusion. Amused confusion, but confusion. 

“Since fairies can’t lie, puns tend to blow their minds, and so do some metaphors.”

“My mind is perfectly intact!” Logan screeched. “Can we please return to civil conversation?!”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Patton chuckled. “So, what do you want to give as your first offer?”

Logan got his face back under control before he replied. “We obviously cannot purchase the honey all at once, but as a first offer, I would say that we will exchange six gold coins that are from this century for two quarts of the honey, provided you assist in transporting it into our village.”

On seeing Patton’s face startlingly unmoved by the truly amazing amount of money, Thomas was careful not to show his surprise either. 

“I am willing to assist in transportation, provided you guarantee me my safety and prompt return.”

“Of course,” Logan said, dipping his head slightly. “Then is it a deal?”

“It’s a deal.” Patton said. 

Patton picked up two of the jars and walked outside with Logan. Thomas really was worried, but as they went inside the circle, no mist came from the flowers, and they walked together without any visible problems. It was less than half an hour later that Patton came back, excitedly clutching the gold.

  * •^*^••



With wood being plentiful in the forest, and the money being easily enough to buy them food, they spent the winter warm and fed, if a little cramped, in the den. 

Logan came as the emissary every time, and Thomas wasn’t surprised, since Logan seemed to have the most hold on his magic, and also had Patton’s name if things went south, but he still kind of wanted to see Virgil again. 

“Logic,” Thomas said, as Logan was getting up to leave with the very last of the honey. “Do you think Anxiety would mind visiting us?”

Logan gave him a confused look for a second. “Oh, I suppose you wouldn’t have heard, he was banished from our village for letting you go.”

“What? But he didn’t--I escaped, he didn’t let me go. And if he let me go, then you let Patt-- er--Morality go.”

“I am not going to explain our judicial system to you. Suffice it to say that we were both reprimanded, and I no longer know where he is.”

“But you were friends!” Patton said. “Didn’t you look for him?”

“I have no reason to explain myself or my actions to you. Good day.”

And then Logan left. 

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Flowers were springing up, and it was getting warmer every day, so Thomas and Patton packed up their few belongings and prepared to move back into the town house.

Thomas was heading back first, since Patton wanted to try and say goodbye to Logan. 

He unlocked the door and set down his pack heavily on the floor. The house smelled musty, and would need a good cleaning. In from cracks in the windowframes came little springs of ivy. Honestly, all the windows would have to be replaced. Thomas did not know how to replace windows. Well, he’d figure something out. 

He built up a fire and set his biggest pot filled with water on it to heat up. He’d dip out enough for tea, and use the rest to clean. 

He scoured the kitchen and mopped the rest of the downstairs, which really wasn’t all that big, mostly just a living room and a couple closets. Then he went upstairs. He had two bedrooms, his own, and one that was now Patton’s. 

He went into Patton’s first, stripping the sheets off the bed and pulling down the curtains. They’d all have to be washed. Then he went into his own room, but as he stripped the sheets off, there was a tiny shriek, and something flew across the room and smacked into the wall. Thomas dropped the sheet immediately. 

“Oh! I didn’t mean to fling you like that! Are you alright?”

He knelt near the fairy, which was just starting to get back on its feet. It was Virgil. 

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t—didn’t know where else—I—“ 

There was a silence for a few seconds while Thomas tried to figure out what Virgil was apologizing for. 

“MynameisVirgil!” He suddenly burst out, screwing his eyes shut. 

Thomas felt an odd tingle run down his back. 

“I have some tea made,” he started. “Why don’t we go downstairs, calm down, have some tea, and discuss this properly.”

“You mean that isn’t enough?” Virgil said, his voice nearly breaking. 

“No, that’s not what I mean. Let’s have some tea first, and then we can talk.”

Virgil nodded, and flew up to shoulder level, following Thomas downstairs. 

Thomas made two cups of tea, one with way too much sugar, and settled back to drink his tea. Virgil took a few sips from the cup, and his wings fluttered happily, but his face was downcast. 

“S-so what now?”

“First I’d like a complete explanation of what exactly is going on,” Thomas said. “I’ve heard that you got kicked out of your village, and now you’re in my house, but I don’t know what all else.”

“I was banished, and it was getting colder, and I didn’t know where to go, but your house was empty, so I stayed here for the winter. I-I broke the laws of hospitality by staying without asking, but I thought that my name would be enough to pay it back.”

Thomas nodded. Hospitality laws were a fairy thing, and he didn’t know all the details, but it wasn’t like he could return the name. 

“So then, since you gave me your name, are you gonna be my new roommate?”

Virgil blinked. “Um… if you want me to stay, but—“

“I would like it if you stayed.”

Virgil blinked again. “Why? I thought—I thought you hated me?”

“No! No, I never hated you! I was mad about being kidnapped and all, but I hurt you too. I was honestly worried you wouldn’t ever want to see  _ me _ again.”

Virgil shook his head. “No, you just tried to get away. It’s my own fault for letting you.”

The front door opened, and Patton set down a heavy pack next to Thomas’s. 

“I’m home!” He came into the kitchen. “Oh! Hello.”

“Hi,” Virgil said, moving to the side to put the teacup in between himself and Patton. 

“Virgil’s going to be our new roommate,” Thomas said. 

Virgil shuddered. 

“Are you alright?” Thomas asked. “If you don’t want to-“

“No, it’s a name thing,” Patton said. “If you call his name he gets… like… it kind of hurts I think?”

“I had no idea!” Thomas protested immediately. 

“It’s not really that painful,” Patton said thoughtfully. “But you definitely notice it. I got around it by calling Logic Lo sometimes, or Logic.”

“You can call me Virge,” Virgil said. 

“Ok, thank goodness. I don’t want to walk on eggshells about names. What if I say that I’m not giving you my name, but you can call me Thomas?”

Patton nodded. 

“That works,” Virgil said. 

  * •^*^••



The house was filled with smoke again. Thomas and Patton opened the door and all the windows, evacuating to the yard. 

“Do you think you could ask whatever fairy keeps doing this to stop?” Thomas asked, coughing. 

“He’s pretty mad at you. You’d have to pay him.” Virgil said. 

“Pay him what?”

Virgil shrugged. “I can ask?”

“Please do.”

Virgil flitted away, and took a while to come back, but when he did there was another fairy in tow. 

The other fairy was larger than most fairies, and had his arms crossed over his chest. 

“You won’t get me to leave,” he said as soon as he was within earshot. “I’ve got permission from the prince to be here.”

“Not even if we paid you?” Patton asked. 

“You broke my house!” The fairy yelled. “I won’t leave until I’ve done the same to yours!”

“What?” Thomas said. “I didn’t think—“

“He built my old house,” Virgil whispered from his position on Thomas’s shoulder. 

“Oh.”

There was a tense silence for a few minutes. Just as the fairy turned to leave, Thomas had an idea. 

“Wait! Um, just a minute!” He ran inside and went to the hall closet, emptying the middle shelf and propping the door open. 

The other fairy followed him in, and frowned down at him. 

“What if I paid you to build Virge another house here?”

Thomas didn’t say, but secretly hoped, that once the fairy had built something, he wouldn’t chance it getting ruined by attacking the human house any longer. 

“How do I know you aren’t just going to smash it again?”

“We can empty out the closet completely, and lock the door, and put a fairy sized door in it. I wouldn’t open it. But if it’s going to be the whole closet, you’d better make it nice, with plenty of guest rooms.” 

The fairy’s frown didn’t leave, but there was a bright glint in his eye as he sized up the closet. 

“You’d empty out the human things, but leave the platforms?” He clarified. 

Thomas nodded, assuming he meant the shelves. 

“And how much are you thinking to pay me?” The fairy asked. 

“Having been inside Virge’s old house, I could see that your level of craftsmanship must be very high,” Thomas said, hoping to flatter the fairy. “I couldn’t begin to put a price on it.”

The fairy’s hovering bounced around erratically, which Thomas hoped meant the flattery had worked. 

“You provide the materials, and food for me and my helpers, and I’ll have it done in a fortnight.” The fairy said. 

Thomas was shocked at how little the fairy was asking, and readily agreed. 

  * •^*^••



Patton loved baking, and he certainly got to do as much as he wanted. Fairies loved sweet things, and he made batch after batch of cookies and scones and tiny cakes. All eaten, or secreted away somewhere. 

Virgil usually hovered around Thomas’s shoulder, unless Thomas went into town, just as quiet as he was always been. Patton suspected that Virgil had more to say than he actually said, and he knew Thomas thought the same way, but Virgil was typically silent. He seemed happy just to hang around. 

It was the last day. By sunset they would close the closet door, lock it, and never open it again. Inside was a complex house, mostly made of natural materials, but with several distinct additions from Thomas’s belongings, such as two bathtubs made from teacups. It was large enough it could have easily housed fifteen or twenty fairies, and would be a mansion for Virgil alone. Patton hoped that Logan would visit. 

Patton pulled out the pan of thumbprint cookies, the jelly bubbling a bit. He set them all on a plate and took it outside. He had a pot of floral tea, and a whole bowl of sugar as well. 

“Lunch is ready!” He called, and soon there were five fairies, each lifting a cookie nearly as big as they were, and eating eagerly. 

To his surprise, he could see two more fairies coming, but these were coming from the direction of the forest. 

“Lo! Ro! Hi! I didn’t expect you!” Patton greeted. 

Roman bowed, and Logan followed suit. “I have come to see what it is drawing so many of my people away.”

“We’re building a fairy house!” Patton said. “Oh, wait, you don’t mind, do you?”

Roman chuckled. “I’d like to see it first, and to talk with Thomas.”

Patton was slightly worried that Roman knew Thomas’s name, but he still led him inside. 

Thomas was sitting on the floor opposite the closet, watching as the windows were being put into the door. He had told Patton that he hoped to learn from watching the fairies do it, so he could replace the rotting windows in the house. 

“Hey, Pat. Who are these?”

“This is The Prince, and Logic,” Patton said, not really daring to use their names. 

Thomas nodded respectfully. “To what do I owe this honor?”

Roman smiled. “I’ve come to inquire why you’re doing this.”

“Specifically, I wanted a house for Virge, and I wanted my house to not be under attack any more. But in general— I’m aware that we parted badly. I was angry at fairies, and I’m sure you were angry with me as well. I wish to restore the Human/Fairy relations.”

Roman nodded. “You are aware that you do not speak for all humans, as I do not speak for all fairies?”

“I am. I can only speak for myself and Patton, but we want to have good relationships with you.”

Roman nodded again. “You may say that, and your actions so far may support it, but clever humans have said the same before, only to capture my people and kill them.”

Thomas nodded slowly. “As a gesture of goodwill, then, to you alone, Prince. If I ever turn against you, you may have my name, Thomas Sanders.”

Roman’s eyebrows shot up, and he smiled. “That is acceptable. You are given permission to call me by my name, Roman. I hope to establish a friendship between my people and yours.” 

Roman shifted into human form, though he looked rather less human than Logan ever did, and stuck out his hand for Thomas to shake. 

Thomas smiled and shook his hand. “I also hope to be friends with you, Roman. Would you like to join me for lunch?”

  * •^*^••



It wasn’t long after when Virgil’s banishment was revoked, as well as whatever punishment had been given to Logan. He never would say what it was.

Thomas and Patton lived happily in the town house for many years, even though the townspeople pulled away from them more and more as time went by. Eventually, the town itself, as it grew, pulled away, and their house was outside the town. Thomas bought several of the acres around the house, and Patton grew the most beautiful garden in the country. The garden was always filled with fairies, not that just anyone could see them, but it was always clear when stepping in that there was much magic in the air. 

Thomas, as it turned out, had an affinity for magic, and Logan taught him what he could. As a team, Thomas, Roman, and Virgil defeated a dragon that had been plaguing the kingdom, and the king gave them enough gold to live happily and without concern, no matter how long they might live. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end. I hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not fantastic at tagging yet, so if there's anything I should have tagged and didn't, feel free to let me know.


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